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About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and... (More)

About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and saved my barbs for my Commentary page. I had some political differences with the City Council at that time and particularly with the majority dubbed "The Gang of Three," by the San Ramon Valley Times. In 2003 new Council members were elected and the Council was more balanced and fiscally conservative, but I continued to write the Observer until 2009. At that point I decided I wanted to concentrate on my commentaries. So I requested a meeting with the editor and publisher of the Danville Weekly about taking over the San Ramon Observer. My timing was very apropos since the parent company, Embarcadero Media, was planning to release an online San Ramon Express that April. I was offered a "blog" under the name "San Ramon Observer" for my commentaries. I like to inform residents about what is happening in San Ramon, especially on city government and local politics. When I don't have anything to write about on those topics, I just write about anything I am doing or thinking about. (Hide)

Cat Show in Pleasanton

I went to the 34th Annual Cat Fanciers Association Cat Show in Pleasanton on Sunday. The Cat Show is sponsored every year by the Crow Canyon Cat Club, which meets monthly in San Ramon.

I used to go to the Cat Show every year when I was fostering cats for TVAR (Tri-Valley Animal Rescue) and later Safe Cat, which spun off from TVAR. Cat fosters felt that TVAR was too dog-centric and wanted to form a cat-centric rescue group.

I stopped fostering three years ago and kept three cats that were not adoptable and one that came back from adoption. I gave up my other foster cats to fosters who were better at getting them adopted. The last Cat Show I attended with Safe Cat was in November 2010. I bought a Christmas-themed T-Shirt and Sweat Shirt at that show, but I wear them all year round.

I finished up my weekend teaching responsibilities for University of Phoenix on Sunday morning and drove down to the Alameda County Fairgrounds a little past noon. I expected to see the Safe Cat booth near the entrance of the building, which is where we were when I took foster cats to the shows. The ticket taker at the entrance told me the adoption booths were moved to the back.

I walked all the way to the other end of the large exhibit hall to the Cat Rescue booths in the back. I didn't recognize the person at the Safe Cat table. She had four cats, including a 7 month old Siamese. I was surprised he was still available. Email Safe Cat at safecatfound@gmail.com if you are interested in adopting him or any of our other adoptable cats.

The Safe-Cat booth was next to Maddie's Fund booth. Maddie's Fund was founded by PeopleSoft founder, Dave Duffield, in honor of his dog, Maddie. I didn't know they added cats to their rescue efforts.

The volunteer for Maddie's Fund noticed my TVAR shirt and said they were allied with TVAR to provide cat rescue. With the addition of the Maddie's Fund cat group, TVAR should become more cat-oriented again.

I walked back through the breeders' area to look at the different cat breeds. Some, like the hairless Sphynx, are strange looking, but the big, fluffy Maine Coons and cats with funny ears, like the curls and folds, are cute.

Cat shows are not like dog shows. Dogs trot around a ring and stand at attention like little soldiers. Dogs love to perform, but cats are "examined" by the judges for conformance to the standard. The judge handles the cat on a table and picks up the cat like a floppy toy. The cat just has to go along with it. My cats wouldn't.

My cats also wouldn't run an obstacle course like the Agility course at the front of the building. Dogs jump over barriers and run through hoop tunnels and weave in and out of fence poles, but CATS! How do you train a cat to do that?

I saw a crowd gathering around the Agility cage just before 2 pm. A woman was trying to entice her cat with a string toy to go over a jump. The cat was not interested. He preferred jumping on the fishnet sides of the enclosure to look at the spectators.

A Japanese Bobtail, Zoom, was next up. Zoom was the star of the Agility course. I don't know if Japanese Bobtail cats can "look into your soul," as the card from the breeder, Megan Antijunti at Hoofnpaws claims, but Zoom was very quick, very smart, very cute, and very friendly. He really did zoom around the track and accomplished all of the stunts with only a little coaxing from Megan.

I like looking at the different breeds of cats to see all the varieties, but with so many cats available for adoption at local shelters, even purebreds, unless you really want a specific breed and can't find one from a shelter or rescue group, please consider adopting a needy cat first.

Posted by Roz Rogoff,
the San Ramon Observer,
on Apr 10, 2014 at 1:32 pmRoz Rogoff is a registered user.

I received a lovely email from Megan Antijunti, the Japanese Bobtail cat breeder, explaining why she breeds cats and JBCs in particular. She gave me permission to copy it here. It's another perspective I had not considered before.

Hi, Rosalind...

Of course, I have mixed feelings to your blog. I agree in that I started in CFA by showing a kitten from a litter I fostered for a local shelter (when I lived in Oregon, 1999). He was all black. You know how hard it is, being a black kitty, and finding a home. I even had one judge say "You've seen one black cat, you've seen them all." Sigh...

Being a breeder, I am PROUD to say I have a "Mission Statement". Promote, educate, and get "my" breed out into peoples hands, so they can see why I am so dedicated to them. After 14 years, I have yet to lose sight of my MS, and remind people at every show why I breed.

Also, a few of the breeds are becoming "nearly extinct". The Havana Brown, the Tonks, the Turkish Van, just to name a few. There are about a dozen JBT breeders in the US, and only ONE in Japan. Some people breed to PRESERVE the breed. And, since they are domesticated, breeding random for no reason is NOT an option. It's about breeding genetically diverse and healthy cats, first and foremost. And, how many cat breeds, actual BREEDS (not just "look alikes"), do you see in the shelters? Not many. Like Arabian Horses, Persians are popular, and for a time, were "overbred", so you find older Persians in shelters, mostly. JBT breeders have a JBT rescue, and we check PetFinder DAILY for JBT's. We can tell by the pictures if they are TRUE JBT's, and not look alikes. The rescue finds someone in the area of the US where the cat is in the shelter, and is prompted to go and take a look. IF it is a JBT, it is pulled from the shelter, and fostered until a home can be found for the cat.

Every cat is an INDIVIDUAL! It's not just "a cat is a cat"! NO WAY! Just like dogs, different cat breeds like different things. The Egyptian Mau, the OLDEST breed of cat known to man as DNA'd by UC Davis, really doesn't like the show halls. The main breeder in the area is a responsible breeder, and she starts her kittens out young (4 months), and, if they don't like it, they don't come back. You will see very few EMau's in the show halls because of this.

Completely opposite with the JBT's. You said yourself that Zoom was enjoying himself, and indeed he was. Not all JBT's are like him, though. Most get bored with running the Agility ring after about the 4th time, and just prance around the ring, to the delight of their adoring fans! :) Silly kids....

MOST cats enjoy spending "quality time" with their human(s). Taking them to a hotel/cat show/running them in Agility is soooo much fun for the Bobtails! My cats push and shove their way INTO the carriers, as they know they get personal "Mommy time" when we go places.

I started in HHP's. I still keep hands on with HHP exhibitors, and Mentor New HHP exhibitors. I am also a CFA Ambassador, giving talks and answering questions during the show. I also volunteer for "Operation Noble Foster", (cats), and if someone gets deployed in the Armed Forces, I care for their cat(s) while they are gone. Have you heard of URRKN? (Underground Railroad Rescue Kitty Network). My room mate and I are "Conductors" in California for them. And, I'm sure you've heard of The Cat House on the Kings...Lynea gets her ISO cages and cat trees from my room mate. (He custom builds them!)

This is a hobby, not a business. It is a labor of love. This is not a money making operation, by any means. And, yes, you see, when a JBT looks into your eyes, they ARE looking into your SOUL. I have many, many repeat owners of JBT's, and I've been told over and over "I never want any other type of cat except a JBT ever again!"

Yes, I am passionate about this AMAZING BREED!! There is a cat show coming up in Lodi in May...hope to see you there! I can walk you around (if I'm not clerking), and introduce you to other breeders who have the same passion I do, with their breeds. We are one big, happy CAT family!

Posted by Roz Rogoff,
the San Ramon Observer,
on Apr 10, 2014 at 4:12 pmRoz Rogoff is a registered user.

Cat breeders, especially those at these local cat shows, are dedicated to and care about their cats, unlike some dog breeders with puppy mills.

About 50 years ago someone gave me a six year old female Siamese. She was not neutered but had never been bred. I decided she should have at least one litter in her life. So I paid $100 to breed her. She had four kittens, three females and one male. I kept the male cat and called him Elmer after "Elmer Gantry," from the movie. I sold the other three for about $30 each to cover the cost of the breeding.

Elmer was very attached to his mother. He was a mama's boy. When she died I adopted another older Siamese female. She didn't want much to do with Elmer but he persistent and she finally gave in and became his surrogate mommy.

Elmer lived to be 15, which I thought was an old age for a cat. Now with better vet care and diet, cats can live into their 20's.

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